This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive) that we have put our hope in the living God who is the Savior of all, and especially of those who believe.
1 Timothy 3:9-10

Monday, May 16, 2016

How to Leave a Family Legacy

By Rick Warren

Awesome families teach their kids that
they’re not the center of the universe. They teach their kids that God made
them and shaped them for a mission. They model dedication, service,
generosity, and prayer.

Average families don’t do those things. Awesome
families do. I am the man that I am today first of
all because of my parents. They instilled in me certain values to care about
other people.

My parents were very, very poor, but
they both had the gift of hospitality. They loved to give to others even
though they didn’t have much. We lived out in the country, and my dad would
plant an acre in garden with all kinds of vegetables. There was no way our
family could eat all that food, but he did it just so he could give it away,
because he didn’t have any money to give away. So we always planted more and
then gave it away to help other people who were in need.

Our home was constantly filled with
other people. If people were in pain, they were at our house. If they were on
the road, they were at our house. If they were going through a conflict, they
were at our house. If they were a well-known Christian leader coming through
town, they were at our house. One day my dad added up how many meals my mom
had cooked for guests in our home in one year. It was over a thousand meals!
I grew up learning an attitude of “give your life away” and that it’s not
about me. It’s about helping other people.

That’s what awesome families do. They
teach each other to show love and to do good deeds. Good deeds are called
ministry. They are called service.

A good example of this is Cornelius’
family in the book of Acts: “He and all his family were devout and
God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly” (Acts
10:2 NIV).

What a great legacy! Wouldn’t you like
to have people writing that about you and your family one day?

Pray this prayer today:

“Dear Jesus
Christ, I want to live an awesome life. And I want to have an awesome family.
I know I won’t have either if I just live for myself. So today I give myself
to you. As for me and my house, we’re going to serve the Lord. I want my
family to be a place of play and fun, not just work and negativity. I want my
family to be a place where we encourage each other to grow constantly. I want
to be a family that is a shelter in the storm, a safe haven, a refuge. Help
me to protect my family — not just their bodies but also their minds. I want
my family to serve you by serving others. Help us to find our family mission,
our purpose, what you shaped our family to do. Help me to teach my kids to be
generous by modeling generosity to God and to others. Help me to have a
bifocal vision to not just care about my family but to teach them to care
about the whole world. May we model dedication and service and generosity and
prayer. I can’t do this on my own, Lord. So I ask you to come into my life
and take complete control of every area and give me the power to do the right
thing. In your name I pray. Amen.”

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Rick and Sharron Hudgens

About Me

I am privileged to be a servant of the Lord God Almighty on High. God has blessed me with a beautiful wife, Sharron, two twin daughters, Danielle and Stephanie, a great son-in-law, Josh (married to Stephanie), and my first granddaughter, Alyse Nicole. In October 2009 Danielle married Jessie Bolder and we welcome Jessie and our new grand daughter Jayden into our family. On April 16, 2010 Danielle gave birth to Jordan Richard Bolder - our first grand son. A few weeks later on May 7th Stephanie gave birth to Breeley May. The latest update is the our daughter Stephanie gave birth to Cammie Lynley on July 12, 2013. Sharron and I are blessed people.